December 12
Events * 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh. * 884 – King Carloman II dies after a hunting accident. He is succeeded by his cousin, emperor Charles the Fat, who for the last time reunites the Frankish Empire. *1098 – First Crusade: Siege of Ma'arrat al-Numan: Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they reportedly resort to cannibalism. *1388 – Mary of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice. *1408 – The Order of the Dragon, a monarchical chivalric order, is created by Sigismund of Luxembourg, then king of Hungary. *1781 – American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant: A British fleet led by defeats a French fleet. *1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, five days after Delaware became the first. *1862 – American Civil War: sinks on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by a controlled mine. *1866 – Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 383 miners and rescuers. *1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first being Hiram Revels. *1897 – Belo Horizonte, the first planned city in Brazil, is founded. *1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" *** in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland. *1911 – Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India. * 1911 – King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck are enthroned as Emperor and Empress of India. *1915 – President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China. *1917 – In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys. *1918 – The Flag of Estonia is raised atop the Pikk Hermann for the first time. *1925 – The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Iran, starting the Pahlavi dynasty. *1935 – Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler. *1936 – Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang. *1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: [[USS Panay incident|USS Panay incident]]: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat on the Yangtze river in China. *1939 – Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi: Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict. * 1939 – sinks after a collision with off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men. *1940 – World War II: Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, as a result of a German air raid. *1941 – World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed. * 1941 – World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan. * 1941 – Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery *1942 – World War II: German troops begin Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. *1946 – A fire at an ice plant in Hudson Heights, Manhattan spreads to an adjacent tenement, killing 37 people. *1948 – Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali massacre: Fourteen members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaya allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village. *1950 – Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services. *1956 – Beginning of the Irish Republican Army's "Border Campaign". *1963 – Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom. *1964 – Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya. *1969 – Years of Lead: Piazza Fontana bombing: The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed. *1979 – Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung-hee. * 1979 – President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam. * 1979 – The unrecognised state of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia returns to British control and resumes using the name Southern Rhodesia. * 1979 – The 8.2 Mw Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami. *1983 – The Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating floats the Australian dollar. *1984 – Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya becomes the third president of Mauritania after a coup d'état against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the latter is attending a summit. *1985 – Arrow Air Flight 1285, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division. *1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains—one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom. *1991 – The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR. *2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore. *2001 – Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps. *2012 – North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using an Unha-3 carrier rocket. Births *1298 – Albert II, Duke of Austria (d. 1358) *1526 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (d. 1588) *1574 – Anne of Denmark (d. 1619) *1610 – Basil of Ostrog, Serbian monk and saint (d. 1671) *1685 – Lodovico Giustini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1743) *1712 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (d. 1780) *1724 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (d. 1816) *1731 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and poet (d. 1802) *1745 – John Jay, American jurist and politician, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829) *1753 – William Beechey, English portrait-painter (d. 1839) *1766 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian poet and historian (d. 1826) *1779 – Madeleine Sophie Barat, French nun and saint, founded the Society of the Sacred Heart (d. 1865) *1786 – William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (d. 1857) *1791 – Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (d. 1847) *1792 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek-Russian general and politician, Military ruler of Moldavia (d. 1828) *1799 – Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (d. 1852) * 1805 – Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1878) *1806 – Stand Watie, American general (d. 1871) *1812 – John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (d. 1872) *1814 – Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1870) *1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (d. 1880) *1842 – Adolf Bötticher, German journalist and historian (d. 1901) *1845 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (d. 1903) *1849 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, American businessman and horse breeder (d. 1920) *1862 – J. Bruce Ismay, English businessman (d. 1937) *1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1944) *1864 – Paul Elmer More, American journalist, author, and critic (d. 1937) *1866 – Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919) *1870 – Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (d. 1912) *1875 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953) *1876 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (d. 1928) *1881 – Harry Warner, Polish-American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros (d. 1958) *1882 – Ioannis Demestichas, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1960) *1884 – Zinaida Serebriakova, Ukrainian-French painter (d. 1967) *1887 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (d. 1974) *1892 – Milko Kos, Slovenian historian and academic (d. 1972) *1893 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973) *1900 – Sammy Davis, Sr., American actor and dancer (d. 1988) *1901 – Harald Kaarmann, Estonian footballer (d. 1942) *1902 – Adele Dunlap, American educator and supercentenarian *1903 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976) * 1903 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 1963) *1904 – Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker and journalist (d. 1981) *1905 – Manès Sperber, Austrian-French psychologist and author (d. 1984) *1905 – Vasily Grossman, Russian journalist and author (d. 1964) *1907 – Roy Douglas, English pianist and composer (d. 2015) *1908 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1993) *1909 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychologist, author, and poet (d. 2011) * 1909 – Karen Morley, American actress and political activist (d. 2003) *1911 – Boun Oum, Laotian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Laos (d. 1980) *1912 – Henry Armstrong, American boxer (d. 1988) *1914 – Patrick O'Brian, English author and translator (d. 2000) *1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, and producer (d. 1998) *1917 – James Wall, American actor and manager (d. 2010) *1918 – Joe Williams, American singer and pianist (d. 1999) *1919 – Olivia Barclay, English astrologer and author (d. 2001) * 1919 – Dan DeCarlo, American soldier and illustrator (d. 2001) * 1919 – B. B. Nimbalkar, Indian cricketer (d. 2012) *1920 – Josef Doležal, Czech race walker (d. 1999) * 1920 – Fred Kida, American illustrator (d. 2014) *1922 – Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1979) *1923 – Bob Barker, American game show host and producer * 1923 – Bob Dorough, American musician, composer, and producer *1924 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013) *1925 – Ted Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2009) * 1925 – Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (d. 1985) * 1925 – Vladimir Shainsky, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer * 1925 – Ahmad Shamloo, Iranian journalist and poet (d. 2000) *1927 – Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990) *1928 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani diplomat and author (d. 2008) * 1928 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (d. 2011) *1929 – Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer * 1929 – John Osborne, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1994) *1930 – Silvio Santos, Brazilian television host and businessman, founded Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão *1931 – Lionel Blair, English actor *1932 – Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach *1933 – Manu Dibango, Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player * 1933 – Christa Stubnick, German sprinter *1934 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican lawyer and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (d. 2012) *1935 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Minister of Agriculture (d. 2013) *1936 – Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (d. 2016) * 1936 – Denise Coffey, English actress and director *1937 – Michael Jeffery, Australian general and politician, 24th Governor-General of Australia * 1937 – Philip Ledger, English pianist, composer, and academic (d. 2012) * 1937 – Buford Pusser, American police officer (d. 1974) *1938 – Connie Francis, American singer and actress *1939 – Terry Kirkman, American singer-songwriter and musician *1940 – Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Agriculture * 1940 – Dionne Warwick, American singer *1942 – Morris Sadek, Egyptian-American lawyer and activist * 1942 – Brough Scott, English jockey and journalist *1943 – Vassilis Alexakis, Greek-French author and translator * 1943 – Dickey Betts, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1943 – Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian journalist and politician (d. 2015) * 1943 – Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999) *1944 – Jean Doré, Canadian lawyer and politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal (d. 2015) * 1944 – Cara Duff-MacCormick, Canadian actress * 1944 – Rob Tyner, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 1991) *1945 – Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaican politician, 7th Prime Minister of Jamaica * 1945 – Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (d. 1997) *1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver *1947 – Will Alsop, English architect and academic * 1947 – Wings Hauser, American actor, director, and screenwriter * 1947 – Chris Mullin, English journalist and politician *1948 – Colin Todd, English football player and coach *1949 – Gopinath Munde, Indian lawyer and politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2014) * 1949 – Bill Nighy, English actor * 1949 – Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy businessman and politician, President of Madagascar *1950 – Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist * 1950 – Martina Hellmann, German athlete * 1950 – Heiner Flassbeck, German economist and academic * 1950 – Rajinikanth, Indian actor * 1950 – Gorman Thomas, American baseball player * 1950 – Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager *1951 – Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, Pakistani Minister of Interior *1952 – Herb Dhaliwal, Indian-Canadian businessman and politician, 3rd Canadian Minister of Natural Resources * 1952 – Sarah Douglas, English actress * 1952 – Cathy Rigby, American gymnast *1953 – Martin Ferguson, Australian lawyer and politician * 1953 – Bruce Kulick, American guitarist and songwriter * 1953 – Rafael Septién, Mexican-American football player *1955 – Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek businesswoman * 1955 – Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist * 1955 – Stephen Smith, Australian lawyer and politician, 53rd Australian Minister of Defence *1956 – Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist *1957 – Cy Curnin, English singer-songwriter and musician * 1957 – Sheila E., American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actress *1958 – Alexander Crutchfield, American businessman, financier and investor *1959 – Jasper Conran, English fashion designer *1960 – Martina Hellmann, German discus thrower *1961 – Andrey Perlov, Russian race walker *1962 – Tracy Austin, American tennis player and sportscaster * 1962 – Arturo Barrios, Mexican-American runner * 1962 – Peter Bergen, American-English journalist and author * 1962 – Mike Golic, American football player and radio host * 1962 – Ulrike Tillmann, German mathematician and academic *1963 – Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican businessman and politician (d. 2012) *1964 – Reeta Chakrabarti, English journalist * 1964 – Haywood Jeffires, American football player and coach *1965 – Will Carling, English rugby player *1966 – Royce Gracie, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and actor * 1966 – Ian Paisley, Jr., Northern Irish politician *1967 – Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer and producer * 1967 – John Randle, American football player *1968 – Rory Kennedy, American director and producer * 1968 – Sašo Udovič, Slovenian footballer * 1968 – Laurie Williams, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2002) *1969 – Sophie Kinsella, English author and educator * 1969 – Wilfred Kirochi, Kenyan runner * 1969 – Fiona May, English-Italian long jumper * 1969 – Michael Möllenbeck, German discus thrower *1970 – Tahir Bilgic, Turkish-Australian comedian and actor * 1970 – Jennifer Connelly, American actress * 1970 – Regina Hall, American actress *1971 – Sammy Korir, Kenyan runner *1972 – Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach * 1972 – Craig Field, Australian rugby league player * 1972 – Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner * 1972 – Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter * 1972 – Hank Williams III, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1973 – Tony Hsieh, American businessman, founded LinkExchange * 1973 – Walter Otta, Argentinian footballer *1974 – Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner * 1974 – Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer and manager *1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress * 1975 – Wesley Charles, Vincentian footballer * 1975 – Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager *1976 – Dan Hawkins, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer * 1976 – Brent Johnson, Canadian football player * 1976 – Lloyd Owusu, Ghanaian footballer * 1976 – Asaka Seto, Japanese actress *1977 – Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler * 1977 – Orlando Hudson, American baseball player * 1977 – Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder * 1977 – Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player *1978 – Gbenga Akinnagbe, American actor and screenwriter * 1978 – Shin Seung-hwan, South Korean actor *1979 – Garrett Atkins, American baseball player * 1979 – Nate Clements, American football player * 1979 – John Salmons, American basketball player *1980 – Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (d. 2010) * 1980 – Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer * 1980 – Berkant Göktan, Turkish-German footballer *1981 – Ronnie Brown, American football player * 1981 – Jeret Peterson, American skier (d. 2011) * 1981 – Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer * 1981 – Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer * 1981 – Stephen Warnock, English footballer *1982 – Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player *1984 – Daniel Agger, Danish footballer * 1984 – Daniel Merrett, Australian footballer *1985 – Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player * 1985 – Chris Jennings, American football player * 1985 – David Veikune, American football player * 1985 – Giannis Zaradoukas, Greek footballer *1986 – Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer * 1986 – Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer * 1986 – Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper * 1986 – T. J. Ward, American football player *1987 – Marte Eberson, Norwegian keyboard player and composer *1988 – Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player * 1988 – Tony Williams, Australian-Tongan rugby league player *1990 – Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner * 1990 – Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer *1991 – Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player *1993 – Zeli Ismail, English footballer *1994 – Mitchell Pinnock, English footballer *1996 – Lachlan Croker, Australian rugby league player Deaths * 884 – Carloman II, Frankish king (b. 866) * 894 – Guy III, king of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor *1143 – Kogyo-Daishi, restorer of Shingon Buddhism in Japan (b. 1095) *1204 – Maimonides, Egyptian religious scholar, philosopher and physician (b. 1135) *1212 – Geoffrey, English archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1152) *1569 – Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow (b. 1507) *1586 – Stephen Báthory, Polish king (b. 1533) *1685 – John Pell, English mathematician and linguist (b. 1610) *1751 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary at War (b. 1678) *1766 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1700) *1782 – Charles Gray, English lawyer and politician (b. 1696) *1789 – John Ponsonby, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1713) *1790 – Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian historian and philosopher (b. 1733) *1794 – Meshullam Feivush Heller, Ukrainian author (b. 1742) *1817 – Tekle Giyorgis I, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1751) *1843 – William I of the Netherlands (b. 1772) *1858 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archeologist and politician, 1st Mayor of Montreal (b. 1787) *1889 – Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (b. 1812) * 1889 – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804) *1894 – John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845) *1913 – Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1844) *1921 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (b. 1868) *1923 – Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (b. 1903) *1924 – Alexander Parvus, Russian-German theorist and politician (b. 1867) *1926 – Jean Richepin, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1849) *1934 – Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (b. 1894) *1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1883) *1941 – César Basa, Filipino lieutenant and pilot (b. 1915) *1951 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (b. 1907) *1952 – Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (b. 1879) * 1958 – Albert Walsh, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1900) *1963 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1903) *1964 – Maithili Sharan Gupt, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1866) * 1964 – William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, English businessman, founded Rootes Group (b. 1894) *1966 – Karl Ruberl, Austrian-American swimmer (b. 1880) *1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902) *1970 – Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (b. 1889) * 1970 – George Terwilliger, American director and screenwriter (b. 1882) *1971 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Israeli philologist and linguist (b. 1909) * 1971 – David Sarnoff, Belarusian-American businessman (b. 1891) *1975 – Richard Baggallay, English colonel and cricketer (b. 1884) *1976 – Jack Cassidy, American actor (b. 1927) *1978 – Fay Compton, English actress (b. 1894) *1980 – Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (b. 1912) *1985 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923) * 1985 – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player and manager (b. 1938) *1986 – Paul Verner, German politician (b. 1911) *1987 – Enrique Jorrín, Cuban violinist and composer (b. 1926) *1992 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (b. 1901) *1993 – József Antall, Hungarian historian and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1932) *1994 – Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933) * 1994 – Donna J. Stone, American poet and philanthropist (b. 1933) *1996 – Vance Packard, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1914) *1997 – Evgenii Landis, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921) *1998 – Lawton Chiles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Governor of Florida (b. 1930) * 1998 – Marco Denevi, Argentinian author and screenwriter (b. 1922) * 1998 – Mo Udall, American captain and politician (b. 1922) *1999 – Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (b. 1904) * 1999 – Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright(b. 1923) *2000 – George Montgomery, American actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1916) * 2000 – Ndabaningi Sithole, Zimbabwean militant leader, founded Zimbabwe African National Union (b. 1920) *2001 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (b. 1897) *2002 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (b. 1908) *2003 – Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani general and politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923) * 2003 – Gangodawila Soma Thero, Sri Lankan monk and educator (b. 1948) *2005 – Robert Newmyer, American actor and producer (b. 1956) * 2005 – Ramanand Sagar, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1917) * 2005 – Annette Stroyberg, Danish actress (b. 1936) * 2005 – Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (b. 1957) *2006 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928) * 2006 – Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935) * 2006 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (b. 1935) * 2006 – Raymond P. Shafer, American lawyer and politician, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917) * 2006 – Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (b. 1930) *2007 – François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (b. 1953) * 2007 – Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1931) *2008 – Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (b. 1918) * 2008 – Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916) * 2008 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (b. 1934) *2010 – Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (b. 1946) *2012 – Joe Allbritton, American banker, publisher, and philanthropist, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (b. 1924) * 2012 – Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (b. 1927) * 2012 – David Tait, English rugby player (b. 1987) *2013 – Tom Laughlin, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931) * 2013 – Abdul Quader Molla, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1948) * 2013 – Leo Sachs, German-Israeli biologist and academic (b. 1924) * 2013 – Jang Sung-taek, North Korean general and politician (b. 1946) * 2013 – Audrey Totter, American actress (b. 1917) *2014 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (b. 1928) * 2014 – Ivor Grattan-Guinness, English mathematician, historian, and academic (b. 1941) * 2014 – Herb Plews, American baseball player (b. 1928) * 2014 – Yury Shutov, Russian politician (b. 1946) *2015 – Luis Bermejo, Spanish illustrator (b. 1931) * 2015 – Frans Geurtsen, Dutch footballer (b. 1942) * 2015 – Sharad Anantrao Joshi, Indian farmer and politician (b. 1935) * 2015 – Evelyn S. Lieberman, American politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (b. 1944) *2016 – Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1931) Holidays and observances * Christian feast day: ** Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet ** Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe ** Vicelinus ** December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) * Constitution Day (Russia) * Croatian Air Force Day (Croatia) * Feast of Masá'il ("Questions"), the first day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith) * Ground Forces Day (Ukraine) * Jamhuri Day, celebrates the independence of Kenya from Britain in 1963. * Kanji Day (Japan) * Neutrality Day (Turkmenistan) External links * BBC: On This Day * * Today in Canadian History Category:Days of the year Category:December